Jason Castro reaches one-year deal with Astros

All-Star catcher Jason Castro and infielder Jesus Guzman reached one-year deals with the Astros on Friday, avoiding arbitration in their first year of eligibility.

“It’s definitely a relief to not have to continue to have to focus on preparing for a case and that type of stuff,” said Castro, who set the franchise single-season record by a catcher for doubles (35) and home runs (18) in 2013. “We were able to reach an agreement that we were kind of both compromising and reaching a middle ground.”

Castro, 26, and the Astros wouldn’t divulge the figure although Jon Heyman of cbssports.com reported the deal at $2.45 million.

Whatever the case, it’s clear Castro received a tremendous raise from the $496,600 he earned during his All-Star 2013 season.

When asked if it was close to the $2.2 million estimate that some experts predicted, Castro said, “It’s pretty close. It’s definitely in the ballpark. It was a pretty decent estimate. It’s not crazy higher or lower than that.”

Despite missing most of the final month of the season because of a cyst on his right knee, Castro had 56 RBIs over 120 games in 2013 while hitting .276 with 54 extra-base hits and a .485 slugging percentage, which was the best for American League catchers.

Guzman, 29, played four different positions over 126 games in 2013 for the Padres, who traded him to the Astros last Dec. 18 for infielder Ryan Jackson.

Astros assistant general manager David Stearns handled the negotiations.

“We’re happy we were able to reach agreements with both players,” Stearns said. “We’re excited that both they and we can focus on what everybody wants to focus on, which is getting ready for spring training.”

Castro also is happy he doesn’t have to worry about the arbitration process.

“That was the good part,” he said. “I think both sides are happy. It’s nice to put it in the rearview mirror and focus on preparing for spring training and not having to prepare for anything more than that.”